Butkus051
Well-Known Member
Went to bed last night in a daze. Didn't know how to analyze IOVVA's subservient effort in the loss to Ohio State so I do what I always do .... this morning I went to the stats. The HAVVKEYE'S stats were not that different than any other regular season game which would have ended in a win. 35% shooting in the first half BUT OSU shot an incendiary 60 PERCENT! They were hot .... we were not! OSU cooled down in the 2nd half to 37% so why weren't the HAVVKS able to rebound? The KEY is that they didn't rebound. The Buckeyes outrebounded IOVVA 43-27!!! This isn't news: IOVVA has been significantly outrebounded in each of their losses this year (except Nebraska - 1 rebound advantage). Further, interior defensive lapses were readily noticeable. Ollinger (for whatever reason) and Warnock were non-factors. For some reason, against teams with solid front lines, the team's ability to effectively feed Czinano disappears. This is fine if the the outside game switch is "ON". Not last night though. Lisa Bluder has her work cut out for her in the off season. The improvement of Czinano is crucial as is finding the next "4" player. On a related note, Monika Czinano has been a breath of fresh air all season especially in light of Megan's graduation and frankly, was a bit of a surprise at 2nd Team All Big Ten. She has a precise (Leads the nation in FG % 69.9%) shooting skills and is constantly on the hustle. Even so, there is definite need for improvement. First and foremost, her footwork needs improvement which will significantly improve her game. While Kathleen Doyle has made a living getting "on the floor", Czinano spends far too much time there. Another concern is defensive lapses (but more experience will cure that) One last thing .... I like my players with a a bit of attitude when they're on the floor. I call it the "PV Factor". (i.e. Piss & Vinegar). Gustafson had it. Czinano needs to get it.
